Following his win yesterday over Kevin Anderson in Rome, Roger Federer looked back on his greatest years.

“I consider I had one of my best years from 2005-2007 so of course I was confident going on court,” Federer said to the Rome website. More confident than today because I was winning over 90 percent of my matches. I was in a zone and it is really important to be there for the longest possible time. Enjoy it, add titles, live the dream.”

Federer won 8 of 12 Slams during that 2005-2007 span, finishing No. 1 each year. In 2005, he was 81-4 with 11 titles in 12 finals. And in 2004 he was just as good.

Turning 34 this summer, Federer now has his sights set on other targets.

“Today things are different. My life has changed, my mindset different. My titles, my records are all there so I feel less pressure,” Federer said. “I don’t want to say I’m less driven but I’m in a really good place right now.

“I enjoy playing tennis with a proper goal in mind – that’s what’s important to me. I enjoy practice, enjoy travelling, enjoy the matches, everything that surrounds the game – the fans, sponsors, press can never be too much for me and today I can enjoy those things more that I have ever had. Life on tour is better today.”

Federer is playing good tennis this week. He’s into the Rome semifinals after beating a comfortable 63, 63 win over Tomas Berdych. The Swiss has never won the Rome title. He will await the Rafael Nadal-Stan Wawrinka winner.

Tour players have usually burned out or are burning out at this stage in their careers. Fed seems in a good place both mentally and physically. He obviously still loves playing, and it shows. Hope it turns into some more titles later this year. Allez!

There are elite athletes. Federer is among the elite of elite athletes. He’s like a Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice or Jack Nicklaus. To be so good for so long. It’s ridiculously impressive. With his game, and barring injury, he looks like he could compete at the highest level for another few years.

I think the Fed-Berg thing reenergized him. He seems to really enjoy being with the team around him and he still loves the tennis life. After 10 years, most tennis pros are looking for the exit. I think that if Federer could stay 33 years old forever, he’d play tennis forever, even if the major totals aren’t going up.

One of our resident statisticians (Mat4?) can give us the numbers, but Rafa and Novak SHOULD be over the hill by now, and Berdych and Ferrer and Fed years ago. I would guess that our #1 and Top Ten for the last few years have been older than any time in the open era for the last.

McEnroe won his last slam at around 25 (Raonic’s age, right??), Edberg was around 26.

Said it numerous times. Fed’s peak has passed and he ain’t at the level he was in his heyday. Anyone who thinks fed- or for that matter most greats who experienced great, consistent success from their early 20s- is the same as his prime age 30 onwards (2011 and beyond) is on drugs. He’s just nowhere near the level that made him the man he is. I don’t blame him: just father time stuff kicking in as. It does for all. It’s commendable that he’s been able to play at a good level still. But peak Federer does not care for good level, having fun: he cares for titles, slams. And the fact he’s 2/21 in grand slams is evidence enough that to believe he’s still the same level is trite BS.

tennisvagabond, yes exactly. and i am sure there are plenty of reasons for it: increased professionalism, deeper attention to diet and fitness perhaps than ever before, and of course technology. i actually asked greg sharko for some stats on precisely how much older players are on tour and how much later they are peaking, etc, so we’ll see if i get some numbers. will definitely post them if i do.

Federer is still great player at 33
While Nadal his nemesis continues to struggle at 28
So whoever says Nadal was the better player is wrong !
Sure head to head favours Nadal but mostly on clay … Federer is a legend !
This is coming from Nadal fan … Sadly we won’t see another Federer vs Nadal Rome semi final … Wawrinka is beating Nadal on clay !

For all the Fedal talk, it was over as a real rivalry long ago. Fans can talk about “we will always have 2008, even if we never had Paris…”, but since then, the contest has more or less been like a giant Canadian with a club (Rafa) vs. a baby seal (Fed).
Even those that rhapsodized about how nothing better existed in tennis than a offensive one-handed backhand player vs. a defensive lefty …the contests were not only one sided post 2008, they were predictable. Fed could beat Rafa on a few low bounce fast and preferable indoor courts – but otherwise everyone know what was coming – high bounce Rafa forehands to Feds vulnerable backhand until Fed withered away.
But maybe we can see the next installment of one of the two closest and high quality rivalries in this era Fed-Nole. (The other being Nole-Nadal).

It’s great to see him still fired by love of the sport and the desire to improve. He’s clearly happy with his family life (which he’s managed to bring on the road with him) and just loves the tennis life, including talking to other players, dealing with the media and sponsors, and involving himself in the organization of the tour.

Now he can pursue other goals; playing tournaments in other countries, for instance, or honing shots that he always wanted to perfect. There’s no external pressure to be #1 or rack up titles for the sake of records anymore. He can play just for the love of the game alone.

As for whether he can win more majors, as he said after the Wimbledon final last year, who knows? Maybe it’s the last time, or maybe there’s much more to come. Only way to know is to play the matches. I certainly would not put much stock in those self-styled “experts” who claim to know with total certainty what Federer cannot do.

Roger has that comfort factor behind him. As a player, he has achieved what all one could aspire for and lived beyond his own wild dreams. As a child, he would have been swinging the racquet with characteristical nonchalance and carefree attitude and in his further evolution as a young boy, he might have had dreams watching great matches on TV about living upto those experience and adorn the crown of glory. He has himself stated that as a boy, his biggest aim was to win Wimbledon atleast once in his career. But this day, he has 7 and what more he can ask for when has excelled more than his greatest fascination and target. This is really a nice feeling to experience at this stage of his career when he is playing for the sheer joy and passion that he has for the Sport. He has a greater than life image, hugely charismatic and is deified today as a Tennis God and rightfully regarded as the best Ambassador the Sport has produced. Whatever he adds from now on is premium and he can retire peacefully and gracefully realizing that he had a glorious career with few parallel.

Federer of 2004-7 vintage or even of 2004 – 2009 vintage would have been no. 1 today. Novak is a great great player, but Roger was something else altogether.

Its amazing Federer is still so good when pushing 34. True, he is helped by the fact that the generation after Andy, Novak and Rafa (i.e. the ones in their early to mid twenties now – Kei, Raonic, Cilic, Dmitrov and company) does not have a single really top class champion, and he still beats them more regularly than he should.

Whether he wins more majors or not is moot. True tennis fans should just savor his presence on the court for as long as he is around.